RIO DE JANEIRO - Danuta KOZAK (HUN) won her second gold medal of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and emphatically retained her women's kayak single (K1) 500m title at the Lagoa Stadium on Thursday.
None of the other seven paddlers could match KOZAK's move at the halfway mark and she won by a margin of almost two seconds.
At the line there were five boats in contention for the minor medals. Emma JORGENSEN (DEN), at 20 the youngest finalist, sneaked through for silver ahead of K1 200m champion Lisa CARRINGTON (NZL).
London 2012 Olympic Games champion Iurii CHEBAN (UKR) defended his men's canoe single (C1) 200m title in dramatic style, launching himself at the line in lane eight to win 0.2 seconds ahead of Valentin DEMYANENKO (AZE).
CHEBAN was the last man into the final, squeezing in with the last qualifying spot after finishing third in his semifinal on Wednesday. His launch for the finish catapulted him into the water, but did not dampen his joy at the title.
Isaquias QUEIROZ DOS SANTOS (BRA) capsized in similar fashion at the finish but the push was enough to win him a bronze medal to add to his silver in the C1 1000m earlier this week.
In the men's kayak double (K2) 1000m, Germany's Max RENDSCHMIDT (GER) and Marcus GROSS (GER) made good on the promise of yesterday's heats by getting out early to a sizable lead.
Behind them the boats from Australia, Portugal and Serbia were scrapping it out for second and although the battle for the minor medals began to reel in the Germans towards the end, RENDSCHMIDT and GROSS had done enough. They took Germany's second canoe sprint gold of the Games, ahead of Marko TOMICEVIC (SRB) and Milenko ZORIC (SRB); and Ken WALLACE (AUS) and Lachlan TAME (AUS).
The men's K2 200m was another close race with the first seven boats finishing just 0.6 seconds apart. Saul CRAVIOTTO (ESP) won his second Olympic title, following up a win in the K2 500m at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. This time he partnered with Cristian TORO (ESP).
Liam HEATH (GBR) and Jon SCHOFIELD (GBR) improved on their London 2012 bronze to take silver, 0.014 seconds in front of Aurimas LANKAS (LTU) and Edvinas RAMANAUSKAS (LTU).
Friday's action
Several of Thursday's medallists will be in action again in the last of the canoe sprint heats on Friday. KOZAK goes in the women's kayak four 500m, seeking to retain the London 2012 Olympic Games title and win her third medal of the Rio 2016 Olympics.
QUEIROZ DOS SANTOS races in the men's canoe double 1000m with partner Erlon DE SOUZA SILVA (BRA). The Brazilians are world champions in this event and it could be their best chance at a home gold medal.
